Search form

Child-Friendly Spaces Offer Fun, Safety and Relief

PBS featured UNICEF this month in a blog post highlighting Child-Friendly Spaces – safe places where children can gather, learn and play during conflicts and emergencies.

Even as simple as a tent or an outdoor classroom, a Child-Friendly Space plays an enormous role in giving a child a sense of normalcy amid chaos. Children are especially vulnerable during emergencies and conflicts. Many have been traumatized, some separated from their families. These children are also at greater risk of being exploited, abused or trafficked.

In situations like these, a Child-Friendly Space serves many purposes. It gives children a safe space to run, sing and play together. It offers children a chance to continue learning when going to school is no longer an option. And it provides children with health services like vaccinations, malnutrition screenings or psychosocial support.

It also serves as a gathering place where unaccompanied children can be reunited with their families, while protecting them from exploitation and trafficking.